Why is marriage so special? I've been thinking about this a lot lately. Not questioning it, just trying to define why I love being married so much. It's a fun thing to explore.
I've been married for two years and I've been with my husband for a total of 3 years. I love our marriage much more than I ever thought I would. I always knew I wanted to get married, of course, but I never thought it would actually change things in my relationship with Eric. I thought our marriage would be more symbolic than anything because he and I were unconditionally committed to each other since day 1. But marriage is much more than simply "symbolic" of our love, and it's more than a legal commitment. Everything in my life shifted slightly when we got married but it's impossible to describe exactly how. It's almost like being married has physically tied us together.
My very favorite thing about marriage is that it's the only time in your life (unless you adopt a child) that you will ever get to choose a member of your family. It's such a blessing to have had the opportunity to choose one person in the world, my very favorite person, to be my family. I can't think of anyone else in the world who feels more like family than Eric does despite the fact that we aren't related by blood.
What is a friend? A single soul dwelling in two bodies. - Aristotle
And what is love? Basically the same thing. In fact, I'm surprised Aristotle described friendship in such strong terms and didn't use this quote to describe love instead. Friendship can be a beautiful thing, but the only friendship I've ever been able to apply this quote to is the one I share with Eric. If there is a half of you dwelling in your body and another half dwelling in the body of another, there are no other halves to go around. Therefore a connection like this can only be shared with one person at a time in your life. It makes more sense for that one person to be your spouse than your friend. But who am I to argue with Aristotle?
And we can't forget what the bible says about love:
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices in the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.
I've been married for two years and I've been with my husband for a total of 3 years. I love our marriage much more than I ever thought I would. I always knew I wanted to get married, of course, but I never thought it would actually change things in my relationship with Eric. I thought our marriage would be more symbolic than anything because he and I were unconditionally committed to each other since day 1. But marriage is much more than simply "symbolic" of our love, and it's more than a legal commitment. Everything in my life shifted slightly when we got married but it's impossible to describe exactly how. It's almost like being married has physically tied us together.
My very favorite thing about marriage is that it's the only time in your life (unless you adopt a child) that you will ever get to choose a member of your family. It's such a blessing to have had the opportunity to choose one person in the world, my very favorite person, to be my family. I can't think of anyone else in the world who feels more like family than Eric does despite the fact that we aren't related by blood.
What is a friend? A single soul dwelling in two bodies. - Aristotle
And what is love? Basically the same thing. In fact, I'm surprised Aristotle described friendship in such strong terms and didn't use this quote to describe love instead. Friendship can be a beautiful thing, but the only friendship I've ever been able to apply this quote to is the one I share with Eric. If there is a half of you dwelling in your body and another half dwelling in the body of another, there are no other halves to go around. Therefore a connection like this can only be shared with one person at a time in your life. It makes more sense for that one person to be your spouse than your friend. But who am I to argue with Aristotle?
And we can't forget what the bible says about love:
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices in the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.
For me, I think it's knowing that we've made that choice to be together and are sticking to that promise.
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